Tag: monk fruit

Almond Pear Tart ~in 10 minutes

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Pears are so good. We had almond pear tart yesterday afternoon. A friend came over for coffee. It was a good excuse to make this tart that gets 0-O-O-H’S and A-H-H-H-S! I have modified the recipe from what I used to make it. I hope you like it.

Almond Pear Tart Recipe

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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 Ingredients
▢ 6 pears
▢ 4 eggs
▢ Himalayan salt - a pinch (any salt is good)
▢ 200g (1 cup) ground almonds 
▢ 50g (¼ cup) Monk fruit (any sugar replacement will do)
▢ 12g (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
▢ 5g (1 tsp) almond extract 
Instructions
Step 1 First, preheat the oven to 177°C/350°F. 
Step 2 Butter a 9 inch ring mold or removable bottom tart shell. 
Step 3 Peel, half and core pears 
Step 4 Toast the ground almonds lightly  for 10 minutes on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment. Let this cool slightly. 
Step 5 In a blender  (or food processor)mix almonds, eggs, sugar substitute, almond extract, grated ginger and a pinch salt 
Step 6 Place pear halves in the ring mold and pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
Step 7 Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving 
Sprinkle with toasted almonds (optional). 
Serve warm.


DID YOU KNOW: Pears along with peaches, raspberries, almonds and strawberries are a member of the rose (Rosaceae) family of plants. High fiber pears help protect us from the development of —> (i)type 2 diabetes, (ii) heart disease and (iii)stomach cancer. Pears are linked to prevention of osteoporosis since Boron (in pears) aides in retaining calcium in your bones. 

When you need an energy boost, have a pear or a slice of “Pear Almond Tart” instead of a candy bar. It works. We had leftover pear tart for lunch today. SWE-E-ET!!!

COMMENT: ” I could taste the fresh ginger. Yum! It really makes the flavour. The cake tasted so good! I loved the pears!”

~ Another happy friend who tasted my pear tart for the first time in her life ~

Almond Cookies -Keto Friendly

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SIMPLY SWEET
This almond cookie is an explosion of flavour,  yet shockingly simple to make. Gluten free. Keto – friendly and does not spike your blood glucose levels. This is my all time favourite  ‘cookie’.  You may be hooked like I was, with your very first bite.  The vanilla extract makes these gems extra good!

print_recipe
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Bernini says. “I’ll give you a hand ( a paw that is)”…

INGREDIENTS
2-3 Egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup of sweetener  ( Monk fruit )
3 cups of sliced blanched almonds
a pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Mix egg whites with a fork. Add sweetener, salt and vanilla.  Mix again.  Toss in almonds and mix. (check your egg white consistency here)
  3. Spoon and flatten cookie mixture  on a silicone sheet or parchment or on a cookie sheet.
  4. Bake 20 minute – to a media brown colour
  5. If bottom still soft and sticky  ..turn over bottom side up and put back in the oven
  6. Turn off oven ..let cookies sit 5-10 minutes to dry out.

VARIATIONS
Dip cookie in dark or light chocolate after baking. Flip chocolate side up. Let cool  (see below).

Chocolate Lovers

TIP!
Egg whites vary in size.  Make sure you have enough ‘egg white’ to have a thick consistency when blending – well coated ( sort of gooey). If it looks dry, you may have to add another egg white . Beat the ‘additional’ egg white separately before you add it to your cookie mix. Err on more egg white. Crumble the cookie on yogurt, hot, morning oatmeal, ice cream, salad or cooked green beans. There are more ideas as you  might guess. The ingredients are healthy and you can dress up any meal with healthy almonds.

DID YOU KNOW?
Almonds are not a true nut. It is a seed or pit similar to a peach or olives. My uncle, who reached his 100th birthday,  would enjoy six almonds daily for good health.  Did you know Bill Gates’  frequently snacks on  ‘nuts’.  I’m sure the almond squeaked its way in the mix.   Monk fruit is the trending sugar substitute,  some say no aftertaste. There are various Monk fruits to buy  with varying sweetness. Investigate them before using in a recipe. Monk fruit  toots a higher sweetness level than sugar. Tasting is believing. Swerve is another emerging substitute for sugar you may want to try.

A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that consuming almonds increases vitamin E levels    Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that defends your cells against damage on a daily basis and prevents artery-clogging oxidation and also lowers cholesterol levels. Almonds have a  significant  increase the amount of antioxidants in the bloodstream. Blood flow is improved along with reduced blood pressure.